Sometime around twelve years old, I found myself up at the podium, giving a talk to a room full of grownups. This was not easy. My Mom’s brush with cancer when I was five had left me a stutterer, unable to talk at times. I got used to writing notes to people. My father’s fix was to drop me into the pressure cooker, so he lined up this talk for me at his Rotary club. I did give the talk, but felt like an Easter Island stone head, talking stiffly. Didn’t stutter once!
I learned that, for me, stuttering was about being anxious. If I could find calm, I could talk like other people. Calm came from knowing my topic very well and from forgetting about myself and simply trying to help people. And when those butterflies show up before a talk, I learned that they are my friends. I use their energy to push forward and be very present, right now!
My friend Dan Holohan wrote a book called Teaching Technicians. Dan taught me all about how technicians are visual thinkers. He taught me to look for three or four smiling faces in the audience, and speak to them. Everyone will think you’re looking at them, but focus on “your friends.” Now it feels like you’re talking with just one smiling person, not a crowd. Isn’t that comfortable?
Using these things, much later, I gave a talk about water heating. Others before me had read from their Power Point slides. I brought a 40-gallon cut-away water heater up on stage, showed off heater parts, and talked about energy and water — things I understand well. I heard one woman on her phone telling someone, “You must get in here! You gotta see this!”
I teach at a high school for disadvantaged youth. Their paths have drugs, gangs and jail in them. Together we built a really efficient small house and trucked it down to Southern California, for a competition with colleges and universities from around the world. At first, these students would mumble at the ground when we had a conversation. They could not make eye contact. We won that competition, and the students got such a boost in confidence, they were able to give multiple presentations to a crowd of about 200 people, and do it with grace. This was a wonderful change to witness.
So I’ve learned some lessons. I’ve mentioned being calm and being present. I’ve talked about the rewards you get from helping others, and focusing on positive energy. I like to balance what could go wrong with what could go right. A whole lot can go right when you make space for it. I’ve had doors open that I didn’t even know were there.
I like tools, but my way of thinking about them is not normal. There are the metal tools, like wrenches, that I can do a lot of good with. But there are other, bigger, more powerful tools that you can use to really help. I’ve saved lives with these tools. Let me name a few: acceptance, perspective, presence, and hope. There are many more, but an example of the power of hope is that if you can give it to someone who has lost it, you can prevent a suicide.
You have a sphere of influence. No matter what’s happening elsewhere, you can make good, positive things happen. One last truth I’d like to mention is that when you help, you always get back more than you give. So, be greedy and give a lot!
Larry Weingarten is author of The Philosopher’s Wrench: Using Your Creativity, Heart & Tools to Fix the World. He’s a general contractor with a focus on hot water and energy. He’s had some great mentors, and likes to pass along what he’s learned.
About the author
Raised on the Monterey Peninsula (California), Larry has been self-employed most of his working life. He got his general contractor’s license in 1982. Hot water has been an interest in its many forms, so Larry has been a member of the National Association of Corrosion Engineers (NACE) and The American Society of Heating, Refrigeration, and Air-Conditioning Engineers (ASHRAE).
In 1992, he and his wife completed the Water Heater Workbook. He has written articles on water heating and energy for various trade journals and has taught about these topics for PG&E, California State Parks, Affordable Comfort and others. More recently he has helped create DVD’s on these and related topics.
Larry finished building an off-grid home in 2006 which was designed to be very efficient, comfortable and inexpensive. It was the 13th home to meet the ‘1000 Home Challenge’, a competition for creating super-efficient homes.
With over 50 years of dealing with man-made things and their makers, he has come to believe that self-sufficiency is an important goal to work towards. And he’s glad to share what he’s learned.
